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Following the recent comment made by former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former aide to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Ajande has urged the former leader to refrain from making jest of other leaders. This was as he suggested the need for constructive contributions to Nigeria’s challenges not otherwise. Speaking via his verified X handle on Saturday, Laolu Akande faulted Obasanjo’s recent statements during a lecture at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University. Obasanjo, while discussing Nigeria’s current state, listed the country’s worsening conditions, blaming leadership failures for the crisis. In his address, Obasanjo said, “Nigeria’s situation is bad. “The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, discord, division, disunity, depression, youth restiveness, confusion, violence, and underdevelopment. “That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria during the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan, Obansanjo stated. He added, “The failing state status of Nigeria is glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, injustice, and incompetence. But yes, there is hope. His comments, which appeared to reference the administrations of former President Muhammadu Buhari (“Baba-go-slow”) and current President Bola Tinubu (“Emilokan”), sparked widespread reactions, including Akande’s rebuke. Akande, who had previously addressed similar issues during a TV programme, reiterated his views that former leaders like Obasanjo should focus on proffering solutions rather than mocking others. He wrote, On #InsideSources yesterday, we took the view during the segment – MY TAKE – that former presidents such as General Obasanjo should do better than merely making jest of other presidents. “The Nigerian situation suffers from political leadership challenges, but even more serious is the deeper problem that itself produces the political leadership challenges.” Akande further noted that while Nigeria grapples with a leadership crisis, the underlying systemic issues fueling these challenges must be addressed to achieve meaningful progress. Obasanjo’s remarks have reignited debates about the state of Nigeria’s governance and the responsibility of former leaders in shaping the nation’s trajectory. Critics argue that his comments, while reflecting the dire state of the country, might alienate current leaders rather than foster collaboration for solutions. Akande’s call for a more constructive approach reflects the need for elder statesmen to leverage their experience in supporting the nation’s growth rather than engaging in criticism.A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsHow Regulation Drives Trust And Growth In Digital Lending
Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski promised to give new coach Barry Odom everything he needed to revive the Boilermakers program. Increasing the NIL budget is a solid start. Odom knows what's coming next — the questions. So naturally, it didn't take long for the former UNLV coach to be asked one thing he's likely to hear frequently on the recruiting trail: Could he explain the payment dispute that led to the departure of his starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, after just three games this season? “I think every story, you look at what you're able to say, what's the truth, what's the reality and what's fabricated,” Odom said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “I think you look at that very specific instance there was very open communication from the day the recruiting process started. Everything we did as a staff, as a university, as an athletic department was by the book and by the law.” Sluka transferred from Holy Cross to UNLV after twice being selected as a Walter Payton Award finalist. The award goes to the best player in the Football Championship Series. He didn't last long in Las Vegas. Sluka entered the transfer portal after winning all three starts, claiming he never received a promised $100,000 NIL payment. Odom issued a statement at the time saying the program abided by the “applicable rules.” On Tuesday, he seemed to acknowledge that part of the explanation was a continuing quarterback competition between Sluka and Hajj Malik-Williams, who took over as the starter and led UNLV (10-3) to its best record in 40 years and a second straight Mountain West Conference championship game appearance. Malik-Williams was a second-team all-conference selection. Odom likely will need more detailed answers for prospective recruits if he intends to make the Boilermakers competitive again in a Big Ten with four playoff-bound teams. Odom does have some advantages at Purdue — a strong alumni base led by former NFL star Drew Brees, a recently renovated stadium, other upgraded facilities and the school's longtime reputation as the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.” The biggest advantage, though, will be Purdue going all in on NIL money. “We’re going to operate at the full cap," Bobinski said. “We’re going to be as resourced as anybody in the country, allowing Barry and his staff the ability to go out there and be eyeball to eyeball with everybody we’re competing for, a transfer or from a high school recruiting perspective.” Bobinski said Odom's results at UNLV were the primary attraction, though. As the Boilermakers continued to struggle in November, Bobinski started studying the revival of a UNLV program that had struggled for decades. What he found was that the man Missouri fired in 2019 after posting a 25-25 record in four seasons had earned a second chance with a Power Four program. “What was accomplished at UNLV these last couple years was nothing short of remarkable,” Bobinski said. “What that shows me is Coach Odom brings a very unique combination of an old-school, traditional football toughness and mindset with ability to operate and adapt to today’s college football environment.” It's a combination Purdue desperately needs following an embarrassing 2024 season in which it went 1-11 (0-9 Big Ten) and suffered the two most lopsided losses in school history — 66-7 to Notre Dame and 66-0 to Indiana. He takes over a team that lost its final 11 games and did not beat an FBS opponent. Navigating the path back in what's likely to be the first year of revenue sharing and NIL caps tied to roster limits could be even trickier given what he's facing. The state's other two most prominent programs — No. 3 Notre Dame (11-1, No. 5 CFP) and No. 9 Indiana (11-1, No. 8 CFP), will meet in a first-round playoff game on Dec. 20. There are other complications, too. Purdue signed only six recruits on the first day of the early signing period and has 21 players currently in the transfer portal, including All-American safety Dillon Thieneman, starting linebacker Yanni Karlaftis, starting tight end Max Klare and two quarterbacks. “We've got to be great evaluators, and then you've got to build an offense or a defense and a kicking game around the strengths of our players,” Odom said. “And then we've got to be great teachers at making them and teaching them, understanding the reasons we're calling the play and how important their job is to get that job done.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro plotted a coup to overturn the 2022 election along with dozens of ex-ministers and senior aides, federal police have said in a formal accusation filed with the country's Supreme Court. or signup to continue reading The final police report caps a nearly two-year investigation into Bolsonaro's role in the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by his supporters that swept the capital Brasilia in January 2023, a week after his rival President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office. Many protesters at the time said they wanted to create chaos to justify a military coup, which they considered imminent. Earlier this week, police arrested five conspirators suspected of planning to assassinate Lula before he took office. Investigators found evidence Bolsonaro knew of that alleged plan, according to a police sources familiar with the probe. Bolsonaro said on social media that investigators and the Supreme Court judge overseeing the case had been "creative" and done "everything the law does not say," adding that he would have to look closer at the formal police accusation. His lawyer told Reuters he would wait to see the report before commenting. The formal police accusations against Bolsonaro are a fresh blow to his plan to run for president in 2026. US President-elect Donald Trump's recent victory had buoyed Bolsonaro allies trying to overturn a court decision that has blocked him from public office for attacking the legitimacy of the 2022 vote. The Supreme Court said it expects to send the police report - the full details of which remain confidential - next week to the country's prosecutor general, who will decide whether to press charges against Bolsonaro and 36 others accused of criminal conspiracy to violently overthrow democracy. Federal police said they had presented evidence based on search warrants, wiretaps, financial records and plea bargain testimony. They said conspirators divided their efforts between spreading disinformation about the election, inciting the armed forces to join a coup, and operational support for "coup-mongering actions," along with legal support and intelligence. Among the accused are two of Bolsonaro's former defence ministers, including his 2022 running mate, retired General Walter Braga Netto; his former national security adviser, retired General Augusto Heleno; former navy commander Almir Garnier Santos; and former Justice Minister Anderson Torres. Police on Tuesday arrested five people suspected of involvement in the assassination plot targeting Lula, then president-elect, and his running mate Geraldo Alckmin, days before they took office. Tuesday's arrests included a deputy minister in Bolsonaro's cabinet who had in his possession a document outlining the plan that had been printed at the presidential palace. A police source said investigators confirmed Bolsonaro was at the presidential palace when the document was printed, and they had found evidence on mobile phones of conversations between aides suggesting the former president was aware of the plot. Bolsonaro never recognised his October 2022 electoral defeat and he left Brazil days before Lula's inauguration for Florida. He eventually returned to Brazil and surrendered his passport to police investigating his role in the January 2023 capital riots, when supporters stormed and vandalised the Supreme Court, Congress and the executive presidential palace. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
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Electric vehicle industry at crossroads, not a dead endNAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand made up a two-shot deficit with two holes to play Sunday with an eagle-birdie finish for a 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot victory over Angel Yin and the $4 million prize — the richest in women's golf — at the CME Group Tour Championship. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand made up a two-shot deficit with two holes to play Sunday with an eagle-birdie finish for a 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot victory over Angel Yin and the $4 million prize — the richest in women's golf — at the CME Group Tour Championship. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand made up a two-shot deficit with two holes to play Sunday with an eagle-birdie finish for a 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot victory over Angel Yin and the $4 million prize — the richest in women’s golf — at the CME Group Tour Championship. Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee only to wind up settling for the $1 million check as runner-up after closing with a 66. The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21-under par after the Thai’s key eagle. Yin hit her approach to 15 feet and narrowly missed her birdie try, leaving Thitikul to make her winner. It was the second straight day Thitikul finished eagle-birdie. Lydia Ko closed with a 63 to finish third. Nelly Korda, who ends her season with seven wins, had a 66 and tied for fifth. PGA Tour ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Maverick McNealy finally became a winner on the final tournament of his fifth year on the PGA Tour, hitting 6-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the 18th hole at Sea Island for a 2-under 68 and a one-shot victory in the RSM Classic. The victory came in his 134th start as a pro, and it sends him to Maui to start the year at The Sentry and to the Masters in April for the first time. Daniel Berger missed a 20-foot birdie attempt on the 18th that preceded McNealy’s winner. He tied for second with Nico Echavarria and Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton, both of whom missed par putts from inside 8 feet on the final hole that created the four-way tie. Berger got a small consolation prize, moving inside the top 125 to keep a full PGA Tour card for 2025 when the fields will be smaller and only the top 100 will keep cards. Henrik Norlander also moved into the top 125, while Joel Dahmen shot 64 to help him stay at No. 124. European tour and PGA Tour of Australia BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Elvis Smylie closed with a 4-under 67 to win the Australian PGA Championship on Sunday by two shots over former mentor Cameron Smith. Smylie built a three-shot lead at the turn and held on to finish at 14-under 199 in a tournament reduced to 54 holes when rained washed out Friday’s play. Smith, who fell behind with a bogey on the par-5 ninth hole, shot 69. It was the second straight week Smith had at least a share of the lead going into the final round and failed to win. Marc Leishman and Anthony Quayle finished three back in a tie for third. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Smylie, the son of former Australian tennis pro Liz Smylie. won the Cameron Smith Scholarship five years ago that allowed him to spend a week at Smith’s Florida home to learn to live and practice as a PGA Tour professional. He now gets a full card on the European tour, which co-sanctioned the event. Other tours Patrick Reed won for the first time in nearly four years, closing with a 4-under 66 to win the Hong Kong Open by three shots on the Asian Tour. Reed shot a 59 in the third round. His last victory was the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2021. He has not won in his three years in the LIV Golf League. ... Hiroshi Iwata made five birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Taisei Shimizu, his seventh career title on the Japan Golf Tour. ... Pieter Moolman closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory in the PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Shiho Kuwaki shot even-par 72 to claim a one-shot victory over Sakura Koiwai in the season-ending JLPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup on the Japan LPGA. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf Advertisement AdvertisementThe National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has raised concerns about the rising trend of consumer loans, fearing that this could lead to a debt trap, a situation in which an individual, a household or even a country is forced to take new loans to repay existing debt obligations. According to the NESDC's report on the social outlook for the third quarter, household debt as of the second quarter amounted to 16.3 trillion baht, an increase of 1.3% year-on-year, decelerating from a 2.3% rise in the previous quarter. The debt-to-GDP ratio in the second quarter stood at 89.6%, down from 90.7% in the first quarter. Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the NESDC, said nearly all forms of household debt had either decelerated or contracted, except for personal loans. The decline in household debt was attributed to the high debt burden combined with deteriorating loan quality, prompting financial institutions to tighten their criteria when assessing loan applications. The quality of household loans has continued to decline, too, with outstanding personal loans overdue by more than 90 days in the National Credit Bureau database totalling 1.16 trillion baht, accounting for 8.48% of total loans in the second quarter, up from 8.01% in the first. The NESDC highlighted key issues that require attention in addressing the household debt problem over the coming time periods including increasing consumer loan trends; more dependence on informal loans; rising mortgage defaults; and the impact of the recent floods. Mr Danucha said personal consumer loans are likely to increase, as personal consumer loans now account for nearly one-third of total household debt. These loans typically carry high interest rates. If households are not cautious about taking on debt or lack financial discipline, this could lead to a debt trap, he said. Additionally, he said as financial institutions maintain stringent lending standards, households may turn to informal loans, especially borrowers who have already reached their maximum borrowing limits within the formal system. Last year, the value of informal loans was estimated at 67 billion baht. Mr Danucha added there is also an upward trend in mortgage defaults, particularly for loans under 3 million baht, indicating that the incomes of certain households have not yet recovered, and their financial situation remains strained. This is evident from their decision to default on home loans before other types of debt, despite housing being considered an essential asset. More importantly, he said the impact of the floods on household liquidity and debt repayment ability requires attention. The government may need to monitor the accessibility of relief measures for flood victims and expedite recovery efforts to restore normal conditions, enabling household incomes to recover quickly. According to the NESDC report, personal consumer loans made up 25% of total household debt in the first quarter, rising to 27.9% in the second quarter of this year. These loans are unsecured (without collateral), carry high interest rates and have a high default rate. As for mortgage loan defaults, 18.2% of total mortgage loans were classified as non-performing loans in the first quarter, with this figure increasing to 23.2% in the second. In a related development, the NESDC on Monday reported that unemployment in the third quarter of 2024 rose slightly from the same period in 2023, reaching 1.02% of the total workforce, or 410,000 individuals. The total workforce for the quarter tallied 40.5 million in the third quarter, down by 0.1% from the corresponding quarter last year. Meanwhile, the number of people employed stands at 40 million, a 0.1% decrease compared with the corresponding period in 2023, primarily due to a 3.4% contraction in agricultural employment, partly resulting from the flood. In contrast, non-agricultural sectors grew by 1.4%, with the transportation and storage sector expanding the most (14%), followed by the hotel and restaurant sector (6.1%). Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector contracted by 1.4%, particularly in the production of computer and electronic products and vehicles. A key issue to monitor is the adaptation of the workforce to modern industries. It is expected that the new industries preparing to invest in Thailand will require 170,000 workers.
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Elon Musk is easily the world's wealthiest man, with a net worth topping $300 billion. But even he stands to make more money from his association with the federal government after placing a winning bet on Donald Trump's election to the presidency. "It's going to be a golden era for Musk with Trump in the White House," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said. Musk's aerospace company SpaceX received billions of dollars in federal contracts, and could be in line for more, while his five other businesses could gain from a lighter regulatory touch. Trump named Musk to cohead a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — a nod to the cryptocurrency Musk adores. However, federal law bars executive branch employees, which can include unpaid consultants, from participating in government matters that will affect their financial interests, unless they divest of their interests or recuse themselves. Trump's transition team has sought a work-around, saying he would "provide advice and guidance from outside of Government" with the work concluding by July 2026, according to a news release. Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota Law School professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer, said that if Musk is truly working outside the government he doesn't have to sell his assets, but that limits his influence. "He can make recommendations, but ultimately the decisions are made by government officials," Painter said. Trump's campaign and Musk's companies didn't respond to requests for comment. Here's how Musk could benefit from Trump's presidency. SpaceX If there's one Musk business that could profit the most from the incoming Trump administration, it's SpaceX. The company, which announced this year it would move its headquarters from California to Texas, already received at least $21 billion in federal funds since its 2002 founding, according to government contracting research firm The Pulse. That includes contracts for launching military satellites, servicing the International Space Station and building a lunar lander. However, that figure could be dwarfed by a federal initiative to fund a Mars mission, which is the stated goal of SpaceX. "Elon Musk is wealthy, but he's not wealthy enough to completely fund humans to Mars. It needs to be a public/private partnership, because of the tens of billions of dollars that this would cost, or even hundreds of billions dollars," said Laura Forczyk, executive director of space industry consulting firm Astralytical. SpaceX already made big strides testing Musk's Starship rocket, the most powerful ever built. NASA envisions employing the rocket in its Artemis program to return humans to the moon, but it has been designed to have enough thrust to propel a spacecraft to Mars. What's more, Trump, during his first presidency, speculated on Twitter about why the United States was focusing on the moon instead of Mars. Still, there are technical challenges, with SpaceX yet to complete the $4 billion Starship lunar lander, which would have to be modified for Mars. And without a pressing geopolitical threat, Congress may be unwilling to spend more on space exploration, as it did during the 1960s with the Apollo program, Forczyk said. Should a Mars project not materialize, SpaceX could still reap rewards in the next four years. For example, the Federal Communications Commission denied SpaceX nearly $900 million in federal subsidies to provide rural broadband access through its Starlink satellite network. Under new FCC leadership, Forczyk sees that being reversed. Tesla Trump's policies could reduce the sales of electric vehicles, but with Musk's influence, his administration's policies could boost Tesla — though not with federal funding. For example, Trump, who tempered criticism of electric vehicles after Musk backed him, might end a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. That would hurt Tesla's unprofitable rivals that rely more on the tax credits to lure customers. "Tesla is the only automaker that has the scale and scope to price vehicles in a $30,000-to$40,000 range and make significant profits," Ives said. "It would essentially take competition out of the market." Trump's Republican administration also is considering imposing tariffs on Mexico and China, which could make cars more expensive. Ives said he expects Trump to make exceptions for Tesla and Apple so they're not hit by a tax on imported goods. Tesla receives only a smattering of federal contracts, according to USAspending.gov , a database that tracks U.S. government spending. This year, Tesla received at least $2.8 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through a federally funded program to deploy EV charging stations. XAI and X Musk's startup XAI doesn't appear to have federal government contracts, but artificial intelligence companies could benefit in other ways under Trump. Republicans and Musk have expressed support for cutting regulation to fuel AI innovation, a crucial part of the future of tech companies. But Musk has also warned that AI could pose a threat to humanity, and it's unclear how Trump plans to address potential safety risks that come with technology including fraud, bias and disinformation. X, formerly known as Twitter, served as an online megaphone for Musk, who constantly shared his support for Trump during the election season. The social media site, which recently relocated its San Francisco headquarters to Texas, doesn't appear to have any federal government contracts, but X could benefit from policy changes that affect its rivals such as Meta and TikTok. Musk, who has declared himself a "free speech absolutist," recently shared an old Trump video with the words "YES!" In the video from 2022, Trump says he would change Section 230, a law that shields platforms from liability for user-generated content. Platforms would qualify for immunity only if the companies "meet high standards of neutrality, transparency, fairness and nondiscrimination," Trump said. The Boring Co. Fed up with Los Angeles traffic, Elon Musk launched The Boring Co. with two tweets in 2016, promising "to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging." The Bastrop, Texas, company, formerly headquartered in Hawthorne, has completed a 1.7-mile loop under the Las Vegas Convention Center and is building a larger citywide loop — both without federal funding. Projects in some other cities didn't get past the proposal stages. However, at Trump's urging, congressional representatives could earmark local transportation projects to the benefit of Boring Co., though the company would still have to compete to win them, said Greg Griffin, a former urban planning professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who studied that city's proposed Boring Co. project. Neuralink Controlling robotic limbs. Seeing without eyes. Those are the kinds of miraculous advances Musk's Neuralink startup has been trying to achieve. The Fremont, California, company he co-founded in 2016 doesn't receive federal money, but its technology and clinical trails are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The more hands-off approach favored by Trump could aid such medical device developers. "We're concerned that regulation in general in the FDA will be weakened under the second Trump administration, and particularly concerned about medical devices," said Dr. Robert Steinbrook, health research group director for the consumer rights group Public Citizen. Get local news delivered to your inbox!